IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO REFUSE TRUCK SPLIT BIN LOADING SYSTEMS

Abstract: There is disclosed a refuse handling apparatus in a refuse collection vehicle particularly adapted for recyclable refuse including at least two separate compartments for receiving a different type of refuse such as selected recyclable materials, each compartment being fitted with a compactor device adapted to a system filling the compartments in which the compactor device (12, 13) includes a pair of reciprocating paddles (12, 13) mounted for arcuate movement about a drive shaft, the paddles including sensing means for sensing the compaction of refuse material in the compartments. A different compaction force is applied to each compartment. At least one of the compartments including rake device (14, 15) mounted for reciprocal movement in the compartment to apply force to the refuse in a single direction away from the loading area. The refuse collection vehicle includes adjacent the discharge end of the container an overload area (17) into which excess refuse material can be selectively transferred from either of the compartments (for example, via pivoting flaps (18, 19)).

Description: IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO REFUSE TRUCK SPLIT BIN LOADING SYSTEMS The present invention relates to a refuse vehicle for use in refuse collection systems particularly involving separation of recyclable materials using split bins of the wheely bin type. Waste collection systems have been disclosed in Australian specifications Nos. 15277/92 and 22410/92, the first relating to a refuse container of the wheely bin type having a plurality of discrete compartments and the latter to a collection vehicle for handling such multi-compartment bins in which the compartment of the vehicle extends across the vehicle at different levels for even weight distribution. A divisional petty patent No. 647724 relates to a collection vehicle for recyclable elements held in two or more compartments in a bin. The petty patent specification discloses two or more chutes which are aligned with the bin compartments, each chute communicating with one of a plurality of storage zones in the vehicle. The storage zones are located on different horizontal planes one above the other. Australian specification No. 74229/91 discloses a multi-compartment bin having separate access openings. European specification No. 0356833 discloses a refuse collection vehicle with several vertical shafts having an adjustable guide baffle for the incoming refuse. German specification No. 3510700 discloses a vehicle having separate chambers for different kinds of refuse. German specification No. 3537546 discloses a refuse collection vehicle with a container divided by horizontal partitions. German specification No. 3703557 discloses a collection vehicle with collecting shafts for refuse controlled by a movable flap diverting flow of refuse to different shafts. US patent No. 5176488 discloses a rear loading refuse vehicle which collects, compacts and separates recyclable materials. Other patents of which we are aware are US patent No. 5123801 , 5078567, 5035564, WO90/11952 and US patent No. 5035563. One of the problems perceived with the collection and separation of different types of refuse in the refuse collection vehicle is the differing volumes of refuse and the possibility of inadequate utilization of refuse vehicle storage volume in the collection of such refuse. Furthermore different types of refuse usually require differing levels of compaction in the loading compartment of the refuse vehicle. For example it is advantageous if glass is not broken and therefore relatively low compaction forces are desirable for glass bottles and similar recyclable materials. It is difficult to maintain low levels of compaction where the vehicle body is made longer to achieve greater volumes. It has been found difficult to achieve adequate compaction in long body volumes and similar problems occur in achieving removal or discharge of the compacted material from the divided container. The present invention has as an objective the provision of a split refuse bin loading apparatus in which refuse of different types including recyclable refuse is loaded into separate compartments. The provision of a computer controlled compaction system in which differing compaction forces may be applied to the refuse of different types in each compartment. The provision of a raking system to ensure even filling of at least one of the compartments. The provision of a selectively variable volume of the separate compartments. The provision of means to avoid overcompaction and promote easier unloading of the separate compartments. It is a prime objective of the present invention to provide a split compartment refuse vehicle incorporating at least one or some of the above features in a simple and effective manner to maximize effective use of compartment volumes in the refuse collection vehicle. There is provided according to one aspect of the present invention refuse handling apparatus in a refuse collection vehicle particularly adapted for recyclable refuse including at least two separate compartments for receiving a different type of refuse such as selected recyclable materials, each compartment being fitted with a compactor device adapted to assist in filling the compartments, characterised in that the compactor device includes means to apply a differing compaction force to the material to be compacted in each compartment. In a more specific aspect of the invention in a refuse collection vehicle, the compactor utilizes at least a pair of reciprocating paddles movable in an arcuate path about a common axis having a drive shaft driven by a power means, one paddle of the pair being located in a compartment of the collection vehicle, the dimension of the paddles being selected to coincide with the thrust of the compaction to each compartment, the thrust of the compaction being proportional to the paddle dimension relative to the radius of arcuate movement of the paddle. Single paddle systems are well known having been disclosed in our patent application No. 60230/90 and German patent specification No. 1196122. Furthermore, double paddle systems are known to applicant, for example as disclosed by the Geesink refuse collection machinery. Other examples of paddle type compactor systems are disclosed in British patent No. 651 156 and Australian patent No. 552878. All of these patents relate to means of controlling and actuating a single reciprocating paddle for compacting refuse into a refuse vehicle compartment. In a more specific aspect of the invention there is provided an operating mechanism for a paddle type rubbish compactor adapted to pivot through an arc of approximately 180° including a pair of hydraulic cylinders coupled to linkage to actuate the paddle, the arrangement being such that there are a pair of paddles arranged on a common drive shaft actuated by a power cylinder means. Conveniently the compaction force applied to recyclable refuse such as glass bottles is lower than other types of refuse such as paper and plastics material. Computer control of the paddle operation to achieve safe operation of the paddle has been disclosed in our earlier application No. 60230/90 to accommodate precise hydraulic actuation and paddle movement. It is an additional feature of the present invention to incorporate computer control which enables "on demand" automatic operation of the paddle during a refuse loading operation. Thus any tendency to over-compaction is avoided or at least minimized. The computer can be programmed to initiate operation on differing cycles and after predetermined time delays, and has the facility to sense actual compaction pressures at different points of travel of the paddles to enable accurate pressure sensing and therefore to provide control over the degree of compaction in each compartment. There is also provided according to a further aspect of the present invention a refuse vehicle having at least one compartment for storage of refuse material loaded thereinto during the collection of refuse comprising rake means mounted for reciprocal movement in the compartment and arranged to engage and move refuse from a first compartment section, receiving incoming refuse to a second compartment section spaced from said first section, said rake means comprising refuse engaging means which are adapted to apply force to the refuse in a single direction away from said first compartment. Conveniently the rake means includes a rake blade, pivotably mounted , tine or spring tine mounted on a movable support in such a way as to lock during movement in one direction but to pivot or flex during movement in the opposite direction. Thus the rake means is effective in moving refuse material lying loosely in the compartment in order to lessen the load on the compaction means at least during initial filling stages of the refuse compartment. There is also provided according to a further aspect of the present invention in a multi-compartment refuse collection vehicle having at least two refuse receiving compartments extending parallel to one another, a refuse input means at one end and refuse unloading means at the other end, wherein the unloading means comprises an overload area into which excess refuse material can be selectively transferred depending upon the filling rate of each refuse compartment. Conveniently the selection is based upon sensor means in each compartment sensing the rate of filling of each compartment and allowing the most rapidly filling compartment to overflow into the overload area. There is also provided a loading apparatus for handling split bin type refuse bins having a central divider partition, said apparatus comprising chute means having a mouth adapted to match with the refuse bin to channel refuse into separate containers on a refuse collection vehicle, the chute means comprising a resiliently mounted intake head means to engage the open end of the refuse bin as it is raised to an emptying position to avoid or minimize spillage of refuse material. The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a double compartmented refuse vehicle made in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of an intake head for engaging a refuse bin; Figure 3 is a side view showing an unloading process of a refuse bin; Figure 4 is a sectional side view of a paddle compactor taken on line V-V; and Figure 5 is a plan view of the paddle compactor shown in Figure 4. With reference to Figure 1 the refuse collection vehicle incorporates a multi-compartmented container 10 as viewed from the side having a dividing floor 1 1 with the left hand end of the compartment being fed from separate chutes and compacted by an upper and lower paddle 12 and 13. Refuse is collected through the intake mouth which will be described in greater detail later. The upper compartment at least is preferably provided with a rake means 14 which is adapted to reciprocate along the length of the upper compartment to draw refuse from the compaction end to the rear end of the vehicle. The rake means includes tines 15 pivotally mounted on support means which are moved by a power cylinder 16 to and fro along the length of the container. The tines 15 may be simple spring tines to apply a larger force when travelling to the rear end of the vehicle as compared to the force applied when travelling towards the compaction end of the vehicle brought about by the configuration of the tines 15. It has been found that the rake means 14 is particularly suitable for pushing the loose recyclable material such as glass bottles etc., which is best not subjected to high compaction forces. Thus the rake 14 achieves movement of the material along the length of the compartment to fully utilise the volume therein. The rear end of the vehicle includes a pair of doors which may be sliding doors or swing doors on the upper and lower compartments which are selectively openable to provide an overflow of material into the unloading volume at the rear of the vehicle in the event of one of the compartments overfilling prior to the other compartment. The doors are selectively openable such that either of the compartments can overfill into the rear compartment 17. The doors 18 and 19 are mounted on pivots however alternative means such as sliding doors 20 may be provided to control movement of the refuse material out of the compartments. The doors 18 and 19 may be automatically controlled to open when one or the other compartments first fills, so that additional refuse can be filled into the rear part of the compartment until both compartments are filled or virtually filled. With reference to Figure 2 there is a shown an intake mouth 8 which is pivotally mounted on shaft 9 and controlled by power cylinder 21 to move in an arcuate manner during an unloading operation to meet the open mouth of a refuse bin prior to it being tipped vertically during an unloading operation. This will minimize spillage of the contents of the bin prior to it being tipped over into the intake mouth. The intake mouth includes a cushion edge 22 which is adapted to interengage with the edge of the refuse bin together with its central divider. The central divider may be directed in a north-south or east-west direction as desired. The upper and lower paddles 12,13 best shown in Figures 4 and 5 are commonly mounted on a vertical shaft 30 driven by a hydraulic motor or the like 31. The upper paddle is of shorter dimension and therefore applies less forces during compaction of the upper compartment which may contain fragile material such as glass bottles. The lower compartment destined to collect crushable and compressible general household and putrescible refuse has a larger dimension paddle 13 adapted to apply a greater compaction force to the refuse material and therefore achieve greater compression of the refuse material which is usually putrescible household refuse in the lower compartment. The upper and lower paddles 12,13 are removably bolted to the drive shaft 30. This allows for the use of paddles of selected dimensions for specific purposes depending upon the nature of material to be handled by the collection vehicle. Thus if the predominant material to be carried is recyclable, small dimension low compaction pressure paddles would be used and large dimension paddles for high pressure compaction systems would be used. The paddles are preferably driven by a hydraulic motor 31 which lends itself to electronic control means (not shown). The control means may include pressure sensors associated with the paddle drive operating so that the paddle movement through its angular arc of approximately 180° senses any impact upon material in the chamber whereby the panel drive is controlled to move the paddles upon demand as the collection vehicle is loaded with material. The dividing floor 11 extends horizontally in a horizontal plane along the compartment of the vehicle. To avoid difficulty in unloading, the compacted refuse that has accumulated in the lower chamber the floor 11 is adapted to be pivotal at the loading end to allow the floor to move upwardly at the unloading end and thereby release pressure on the load for easy tipping at a tip site. This is a particularly useful feature when the chamber is very long as is conventional in modem refuse vehicles. The floor will tilt approximately 6° to allow the floor to lift approximately 30 centimetres at the discharge end. The floor may be manually or hydraulically lifted to achieve this result.

Claims: THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1. A refuse handling apparatus in a refuse collection vehicle particularly adapted for recyclable refuse including at least two separate compartments for receiving a different type of refuse such as selected recyclable materials, each compartment being fitted with a compactor device adapted to assist in filling the compartments, characterised in that the compactor device includes means to apply a differing compaction force to the material to be compacted in each compartment. 2. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein the compactor utilizes at least a pair of reciprocating paddles movable in an arcuate path about a common axis having a drive shaft driven by a power means, one paddle of the pair being located in a compartment of the collection vehicle, the dimension of the paddles being selected to coincide with the thrust of the compaction to each compartment as desired, the thrust of the compaction being proportional to the paddle dimension relative to the radius of arcuate movement of the paddle. 3. A combination as claimed in claim 2 wherein the paddles are adapted to pivot through an arc of approximately 180° and including a pair of hydraulic cylinders coupled to linkage to actuate the paddle, the arrangement being such that there are a pair of paddles arranged on a common drive shaft actuated by power cylinder means. 4. A combination as claimed in claim 3 wherein the drive means includes sensing means for sensing compaction pressures at different points of travel of the paddle members and thereby provide control over the degree of compaction imposed by each paddle. 5. A refuse vehicle having at least one compartment for storage of refuse material loaded thereinto during the collection of refuse comprising rake means mounted for reciprocal movement in the compartment and arranged to engage and move refuse from a first compartment section, receiving incoming refuse to a second compartment section spaced from said first section, said rake means comprising refuse engaging means which are adapted to apply force to the refuse in a single direction away from said first compartment. 6. A vehicle as claimed in claim 5 wherein the rake means includes a rake blade, pivotably mounted tine or spring tine mounted on a movable support in such a way as to lock during movement in one direction but to pivot or flex during movement in the opposite direction. 7. A multi-compartment refuse collection vehicle having at least two refuse receiving compartments extending parallel to one another, a refuse input means at one end and refuse unloading means at the other end, wherein the unloading means comprises an overload area into which excess refuse material can be selectively transferred depending upon the filling rate of each refuse compartment. 8. A vehicle as claimed in claim 7 wherein sensor means are positioned in each compartment for sensing the rate of filling of each compartment and allowing the most rapidly filling compartment to overflow into an overload area in the vehicle. 9. A vehicle as claimed in claim 8 wherein the multi-compartment vehicle is divided by a horizontal dividing partition which is pivotal at one end to allow lifting of the divider during discharge of refuse from the vehicle.

Inventors: BROWNING DAVID J, BROWNING, DAVID, J.
Applicants: BROWNING DAVID J, MACDONALD JOHNSTON ENG, BROWNING, DAVID, J., MACDONALD JOHNSTON ENGINEERING COMPANY PTY. LTD.
Application year: 1994
Main classification: B65F3
IPC codes: B65F3